'Guns, drugs, crime, racism, the effects of single parenthood, the ease with which young black men reject education, the troubled relationship between black Britons and back home, the frustrated desire to achieve ... Kwame Kwei-Armah's play covers an awful lot of bases. What makes Elmina's Kitchen remarkable, however, is his ability to address all these issues without hectoring. He takes us behind the headlines from Hackney's Murder Mile, bringing a human face to London's gang violence and showing how easy it is to make the wrong choice when struggling to survive.' Maddy Costa, The Guardian 'Elmina's Kitchen does just what the best contemporary theatre should. It urges people with half closed minds and averted eyes to confront the ignored and evaded problems of our time.' Nicholas de Jongh, Evening Standard 'This is an angry, provocative, vital play, one that demands change in society while recognising that there are no easy solutions, and is passionately political while understating that the best way to communicate with people is to keep them entertained. It is thrilling to see it at the National - and will be even more thrilling if it inspires other black playwrights to follow its lead.' Maddy Costa, The Guardian 'a scorching drama about the black experience in Britain's inner cities ... there's no mistaking its raw power, humanity and urgent concern.' Charles Spencer, Daily Telegraph 'Set in London's contemporary East End, this is an assured, humourous, ultimately grim drama ... a revenge tragedy for our times, with violent retribution tied in with today's complicated black culture of respect.' Kate Bassett, Independent on Sunday
